Anything But This
by LaraWinner
Summary: (2xH, strong language.) Still, from deep with in the eddy of his urges a snide whisper of reason laughed. 'She doesn’t really want you…'


DISCLAIMER: I don't own GW. Also I do not own Heero's spandex, Duo's lock picks, Quatre's goggles, Trowa's clown mask or Wufei's motorcycle. However, I sure you can find these items on e-bay…

Anything But This

By: Lara Winner

As you licked your lips, I fell inside you  
Inside your mind, inside I knew  
That I could never be the one that you wanted  
And you would never see, all I had to offer  
- SocialBurn "Just a Game"

__

"If there's one thing about Hilde Schbeiker that's predictable, it's that she'll always surprise you."

Duo Maxwell smiled at the truth of those fateful words and continued nursing the beer he cradled in his hands. The time and place when he had stumbled upon that valuable discovery was hazy at best but the words were clear as the chime of a bell. Hell, after living and working with Hilde for the better part of eight years, it was a lesson bound to be learned. Once again, letting his gaze wander over the raven haired pixie on the dance floor, he frowned knowing he shouldn't be surprised.

It was a usual Friday night. Duo found himself sitting at his usual table, off to the corner and away from the glare of the strobe lights yet still in perfect view of the dance floor. Club 735 was not his favorite place to hangout but this week it had been Hilde's turn to choose and tonight she had been in the mood to dance. Not that he had anything against watching half naked girls sashaying their bodies as they moved to the pulsing rhythms that blared from the surrounding speakers, but after seeing the same girls damn near every week it was getting old.

Admiring Hilde's appearance for the hundredth time that night, he supposed he could add her to the list of "half naked". On her feet was a pair of four-inch healed, black, knee-high boots. The scrap of material that she called a skirt was slowly riding up her pale, silky thighs coming dangerously close to giving a glimpse of the crimson lace thong she wore underneath. The tight black midriff she was wearing conformed to her breasts emphasizing the fact that she was not wearing a bra and with every move of her body they jounced. The hypnotic movements of her chest combined with the luscious sway of her hips made Duo lick his lips as a hot flush tingled through his body.

Tonight however, unlike the usual Friday night, Hilde was not dancing alone and due to that unsavory little factor the heat seeping into Duo's blood was tempered with the flame of anger, not just desire. Actually, Duo wasn't sure what Hilde was doing could be considered dancing, it was more like humping with clothes on.

Of course the guy was all over her. With her back pressed against his chest, Hilde moved with her eyes closed letting the pounding flow of the music direct her actions. She seemed to encourage the way the asshole's hands caressed her hips, splaying over her bare stomach and sliding back down again to press her ass into his crotch. Each time the guy's hands moved forward they inched lower and were eventually going to slide under her skirt. It didn't help that her arms were raised and looped around his neck while his head was dipped dropping kisses along the side of her throat.

Taking another long draught from his beer, Duo resisted slamming the long neck down on the glass tabletop. He shouldn't be surprised or angry to see this. Hilde was a grown woman free to do as she pleased with whomever she pleased.

__

That's the way I wanted it, he reminded himself.

The boundary between platonic friendship and being friends with benefits will bur over time. For six years Hilde had been his best bud and that was all it was, plain and simple friendship. But as most things tend to happen, the inevitable occurred. One night, after having one to many drinks and returning home quite sloshed, they ended up kissing.

Suddenly, in the midst of drunken clarity, Duo realized that Hilde had grown up. Duo's bud was actually a very sexy, desirable, available young woman who that moment was just as horny as he was. So they had thrown caution to the wind and took a tumble in the sheets. In the blink of an eye the boundary had been crossed and it seemed there was no going back.

The next morning Duo had been unsure of what to do. Hilde was Hilde and while she was one of the most important people in his life, he wasn't sure it was love. Afraid that things would change and without the fogginess of alcohol to push the consequences aside, Duo knew he had to be honest no matter what the cost. He found Hilde in the kitchen, humming to herself as she mixed what looked like pancake batter. Even now, two years later, that morning still felt like yesterday.

__

Swallowing against the nervous lump in his throat, he rushed right into what he felt needed to be said. "Um.. Hil… about last night… We need to talk."

Hilde's humming stopped but she didn't turn around. Giving no outward sign to what she was thinking, she prompted, "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"You and me, we've been friends for a long time, right? And last night wasn't supposed to happen, right? But it did happen… and… now its weird… and… and…"he trailed off knowing that what he was trying to say and what was coming out were two different things. He was trying not to hurt her but he was probably making the situation much worse.

Awkward silence filled the air and Duo fidgeted, not knowing what to do or say, or even think. Finally, when he was sure he couldn't take it anymore, Hilde turned around with a small affectionate grin quirking her lips.

Placing the bowl of batter on the counter, she moved over to his side and chuckled. "You are so cute sometimes, you now that."

"Hilde you don't understand." He took a deep breath and blurted out, "I don't love you like that and I think we should forget last night happened."

He wasn't sure what he was expecting but Hilde surprised him by laughing. Helplessly she shook her head. "Relax Duo. So we had sex, what's the big deal? You're acting like it's the worst thing that ever happened."

Duo blinked. "You're okay with it?"

Hilde's grin widened, "Of course. Don't worry, I'm going to tell you I'm in love with you." He blushed in embarrassment and she laughed again as leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "Last night was nothing more than a little fun and I'd like to think we're adults enough to not let this change things. I can handle it if you can."

Giving him a wink before turning back to the pancake batter, she smiled impishly, "Besides, you were pretty damn good."

And just like that everything changed. It was no longer simple friendship, instead they were friends and occasional fuck buddies. Granted they still dated other people and lived separate lives, but the change in their relationship was there and after time it began to make itself known.

It started as mild jealousy. Duo wasn't sure when he began to resent the guys she went out with, all he knew was that little by little the thought of her fucking somebody else began to eat at him, especially the rare few she brought back to the house. Although there was nothing he could say because he was guilty of the very same thing.

Duo's history with the ladies was no secret. Hilde would often joke with him saying that his bedroom had seen more traffic than an all-night convenient store. Compared to his track record Hilde was a saint and she loved to rub it in. But she was only teasing her best friend. Not once had she ever given him the impression that his sexual appetite or his choice in female companionship bothered her in the least. She never asked questions or pried into his affairs. And he knew that she expected the same courtesy from him.

But lately Duo found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. It was getting increasingly harder to bite his tongue when Hilde came stumbling in mid-morning, debauched and rumpled after spending the night out. Her nonchalance about his role in her life was becoming annoying and even painful. The enjoyment he used to find in his freedom was beginning to fade into loneliness and no amount of one-night-stands were filling the void anymore.

Duo knew the signs when he saw them. It was his personal motto to never tell a lie and that also meant to himself. One morning, after wanting to kill the shmuck he found in the kitchen having breakfast with Hilde, he realized that it was high time he admit the problem and face it. He was head over heels in love with Hilde and she was completely oblivious.

He blamed his this new level of emotions on their sexual relationship. If they hadn't crossed that line then none of this would have happened. They could still be friends and he would be living the life of the happy bachelor instead of miserably pining away for the one person who made it abundantly clear that she did not return his feelings. And yet every time he cursed her body and the things she could do with it to drive him wild, he knew he lived for the nights that they spent together.

There was a small bit of comfort in the fact that Hilde spent more nights in his bed than in her own, or even away from the house for that matter. And when he brought her to an orgasm she would loose herself so deeply that she'd hold onto him for dear life while trembling and whimpering leaving Duo to wonder if she reacted with that much intensity to the others or was it only for him. Masochistic tendencies prodded him to ask, to find out if there was anything special about what they shared or if he was just another way to kill time. And as his feelings continued to grow, the pleasure and pain she brought him became sharper and deeper adding to his love induced confusion.

Still, through it all, Duo remained downright surprised that his emotions had grown into love. Now that the deed was done he should have realized that it was bound to happen. There was something about Hilde that called to him, it just took a little growing up for him to understand it. Of course now that he did he was royally fucked.

Gripping his beer tightly, Duo tried to look away from Hilde antics but his eyes remained glued to her lithe body. Hilde knew what she was doing and if the mood was right she could be a horrible tease. Right now she was playing this asshole's desire to the point where if she were interested she would leave with him tonight and if she was only having fun, she'd heartlessly leave the miserable piece-of-shit to jerk off in the men's room. In Duo's opinion she needed to do the later more often.

With his frustration stewing beneath his relaxed, confident exterior, Duo muttered a curse and polished off the rest of his beer. With effort he forced himself to look anywhere except at Hilde. In the sea of moving bodies he could make a few familiar faces. Amy, Jessy, Rayla, gay Steve and his boyfriend Bruce, straight Steve and his girlfriend Samantha, the twins Bambi and Candy…

The twins… That was one hell of a night.

The though carried a touch a masculine pride and Duo couldn't help but smile wistfully. Those were the days, long before a certain slip of a girl stole his heart, long long before his philandering ways went out of commission. Why did things have to change damn it?

All it took was the brief thought of Hilde to send Duo's head swiveling in her direction once again. She was still dancing and allowing herself to be mauled by that… that…, for lack of a better name, Limp dick-ass munching-cocksucker. In an instant the smile was wiped off his face and his fists clenched. Why the fuck was he sitting in shadows like a pussy-whipped chump? It wasn't in his nature to bend over and take it and right now, with the beer rushing to his head, his docile temperament was swiftly turning into brawl mode.

The last thread of uncertainty that held Duo in place snapped, like an elastic cord pulled too tight, when Mr. Boner's left hand started rising up under the side of Hilde's tight skirt. The list of curses Duo muttered were nothing compared to the brutal images floating around in his head. The bastard deserved to die. Oh how he wanted to pummel Blue Balls into a bloody mess. Just one punch landing in the right spot would have Fuck Face hitting the floor and choking on his own blood. That would be peachy.

The violence contained inside Duo continued to rise as he approached the dancing couple. Preparing to do whatever it took to pry those grubby paws of his Hilde, Duo tapped on the young man's shoulder and jerked his head to the side as he growled, "Beat it."

Hilde's dance partner chose to ignore to look of death in Duo's eyes and gave him a cocky grin. "Look buddy, why don't you fuck off! She's with me."

Duo's reaction came without thought as his hand fisted and started to rise. Only two things stopped him from bashing the stupid fuck's face in, Hilde's startled laugh as she stepped out of the guy's embrace and the restraining hand she placed on his arm.

A look of warning flashed in Hilde's eyes but knowing that he understood, she smiled placidly. "Thanks for the dance Nick. See ya around"

Duo's glare turned into a smug grin. Fuck you sucker.

As was Hilde's airy way, she tugged Duo by the hand and led him away from the dance floor still swaying her hips to the music. Just like that Shit-for-brains was forgotten and Duo breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had come with him, she was going to leave with him and the quicker he could get her out the door the better.

Hilde's thoughts seemed to be heading in the same direction. "I take it your ready to go home."

"Yeah." Boy, was that an understatement.

"You always do this, ya know." She glanced over her shoulder giving him an annoyed look. "You're bored and now you want to leave even though we've barely been here an hour-"

"Three actually." Duo corrected.

"One, two, three doesn't matter. The point is you make me feel bad when I want to come here."

Hilde's over-exaggerated, wounded tone grated on Duo's temper. Consider she hadn't glanced his way once since they walked in the door told him exactly how bad she felt. Hilde was always too caught up in getting attention to spare him any of hers. Once she caught someone's eye the last thing on her mind was concern for him. But as much as he'd love to set her straight and tell her exactly how badly she made him feel, he knew her certain rejection was not worth it. So by the hardest Duo kept his mouth shut choosing to ignore her complaint.

"I'm surprised you haven't ditched me yet and headed over to the Dungeon." She prodded further.

__

And leave you alone here, yeah right… "Don't get me wrong, the thought did cross my mind babe," he said spitefully, "but Numb was playing live and I'm still pissed at Craig for the incident with the twenty credits so I wasn't about to step foot in there tonight. He can take his band and his ego and go to hell."

"Oh."

Feeling slightly guilty for snapping at her, Duo reasoned that he hadn't exactly told a lie, Craig's band was playing there and he was still pissed about being jilted out of twenty credits. But that was not his main reason. Hilde wasn't always in the mood for the heavy metal/goth atmosphere and Duo found it was getting harder to let her out of his sight. But Hilde wasn't stupid. If he kept tagging along behind her pretty soon he was going to run out of excuses and she was going to see right through his mask of indifference. Then what the hell was he going to do?

It was better to play it safe and keep his jealousy to himself. "I'll probably head over there tomorrow night. Care to join me?" He asked as casually as he could manage.

"Sure." Hilde chirped a little too bubbly as they entered the parking lot.

The alcohol was in full effect as Hide suddenly began to sing softy and slightly off key along with the now faint music coming from inside the club. There was a childish bounce to her walk that was deceptively innocent, certainly inviting, and Duo grit his teeth in frustration, torn between arousal and animosity.

It was an odd feeling. It definitely wasn't a combination of emotions that Duo was familiar with. His body was completely attuned to Hilde's and yet at the same time he was disgusted with himself, with the entire situation, and especially with Hilde. He felt as if he were watching her through the eyes of someone else, through the eyes of someone who hated her just as much as he loved her.

It was nearly overwhelming as Duo realized it hurt. He didn't want to resent his feelings for Hilde but at the same time knowing that she didn't give a damn in return made it difficult. It felt wrong to fuck her when she was probably thinking of someone else. He was aware of how empty it felt to turn over after sex instead of being able to hold her like he wanted. But he was selfish enough to take her anyway he could have her. He could only hope that it didn't backfire or he'd end up loosing her anyway.

So what would happen now? Was he supposed to pretend that his feelings meant nothing? Was he supposed to keep this locked inside until it broke him? How long till that happened? And when it did would Hilde even care?

On second thought, Duo forced the last question to the back of his mind. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Hey Duo?"

"Huh…" He latched his attention onto Hilde's timid voice eager to focus on something, anything other than what was circling his mind.

"Why didn't you come dance with me?"

Duo opened his mouth and then promptly closed it as he realized she had asked a damn good question. Why didn't he dance with her? Then it could have been him getting the pole treatment. He mentally kicked himself in the ass and offered a lame excuse. "I didn't know you wanted me to."

At that Hilde looked back at him and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Heero's right. You are a baka."

__

Only for you babe… "I guess I owe you a dance."

"I won't hold my breath 'cuz trying to get you to dance is like pulling teeth" She teased over her shoulder with a naughty grin.

She was doing again. She was manipulating him so effortlessly that despite his anger Duo found himself playing right into her hands.

"Then how else should I make it up to you?"

Hilde's response was a strategic move on her part. Her little pink tongue darted out and ran over her cherry red lips as her eyes raked up and down his body from head to toe. Then her naughty smile turned down right wicked as she met his gaze once again, the lust in her baby blues making his pulse leap traitorously.

"You really are a baka if you have to ask." She purred.

These conflicting emotions were driving him crazy. Right now, in the middle of the parking lot Duo wanted to push her up against the nearest car and take her. He wanted to hear his name on her lips as he moved inside her. His semi was getting harder by the second and it wouldn't take much for him to dive into her and fuck her silly. Still, from deep with in the eddy of his urges a snide whisper of reason laughed. _She doesn't really want you…_

It was enough to keep him in check, so instead he kept the desire to himself and reluctantly let go of Hilde's hand when they reached his truck.

Duo did not miss the slight pout that curved Hilde's lips when he stepped away from her. He would be a liar if he tried to feign ignorance to the meaning behind the determined look that suddenly entered her eyes. Duo was no fool and thus he was only mildly surprised when, no sooner had the door slammed closed behind her, Hilde roughly grabbed a fist full of his braid and pulled his head to hers, kissing him passionately.

The abruptness of her attack scattered the last Duo's coherent thoughts to the four winds. Her tongue pushed its way past his lips stroking along his in a dance for dominance. Maneuvering herself between him and the steering wheel, she straddled his waist and used the new angle to tilt his chin back and crush their lips together.

Duo's semi was now at full attention and straining against his jeans. Hilde tasted like the chocolate mudslides she been drinking, sweet and intoxicating. Grasping her tiny waist, he pulled her down enjoying the way she rocked herself against him. With her legs spread, her skirt rode up to her hips. Taking advantage of it, one of Duo's hands moved down to run along her thigh.

Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Hilde broke the bruising kiss and leaned back enough to whisper, 'I wonder how many people can see us?"

"Enough." Duo ground out.

She pressed into him and leaned forward bringing her lips to his ear. "Let's give 'em something to watch."

Then their lips met again and Duo was caught in her web, tangled and trapped by the very feelings he feared. She was overwhelming him, commandeering his senses and making him loose all rationality just by the feel of her skin under his fingertips. It sent the blood rushing through his veins leaving his heart to beat it's way out of his chest with the force of it's pounding. His breath was caught, suspended and forgotten as she reached down between them and unbuttoned Duo's jeans.

Forced to breathe, he tucked his face against Hilde's neck. The unexpected scent of cologne mixed with her floral perfume and suddenly Duo's eyes shot open.

Having Hilde reek of another man's cologne was certainly as good as any mood killer Duo had ever come across and the way his stomach dropped at the realization didn't help matters any. Instinctively he stiffened, then nearly growled as he noticed a small, darkening bruise near the base of her throat. Rage, fueled by hurt and frustration, began to cloud his reasoning. Roughly he pushed her away.

Hilde leaned back, her heavily lidded eyes sparkling curiously. "What's the matter?"

"Just stop." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Duo?"

Violet eyes blazing, Duo glared at Hilde. "What the fuck is going on here?" he asked, his emotions teetering precariously on the fine line between love and hatred but leaning more toward the latter.

Ignoring his anger, Hilde grinned lopsidedly and giggled. "We're getting frisky where everybody can see us silly."

Her hands once again took to roaming and her head dipped as if to kiss him but Duo shied away "Damn it I said stop! Jesus Hilde!"

"Why are so angry all of a sudden?" She pouted prettily. When he looked away, refusing to acknowledge her question, she resumed the slow movement of her hand while placing tiny kisses along his jaw, mumbling, "I bet you had too much to drink. That's okay, I'll make it better." When he remained still, refusing to respond to her actions, she sighed in frustration, "I want this, you definitely want this so what's wrong?"

"That's just it Hilde, you don't even know." Duo snapped. "Come on… you honestly do not see anything wrong with this situation?"

"The only thing wrong is this steering wheel digging in my back." She quipped in a halfhearted attempt to make him smile but instead he was only angered further.

"This is all a game to you…" he managed to whisper, but as another wave of pain constricted his chest his hand fisted and slammed down onto the door console making Hilde jump. "You're so goddamn selfish sometimes!"

"Duo…"

"I don't know about you but I have a problem with being someone else's substitute. You've spent all night practically fucking that asshole in the middle of the dance floor. You even smell like him and now you want sex and I'm supposed to fuck you because you think you've got me wrapped around your finger… Not a chance Babe! No fucking way!"

"Let me get this straight. You're pissed because I was dancing with some other guy?" She asked stupefied. Giving him a look that suggested his behavior was quite unusual; she goaded, "If I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous."

"Yeah I'm jealous. Just blow it off. Whatever."

He felt like screaming, like wrapping his hands around her pretty little neck and shaking her until it wiped that smug grin off her face. He couldn't stop the disgust that surfaced in his expression.

Seeing it Hilde winced. "God Duo, it's not like I was the only girl out there having a good time…"

"You know they have a four letter word for girls like you!" He snarled before he could stop himself.

Hilde gasped, the blood draining from her face as she stared at him wide eyed. The effect of his words was evident in her stricken expression and suddenly all of Duo's anger faded leaving him feeling sick as he watched her withdraw into herself. When she finally spoke her voice was small and unsteady. "Thanks Duo."

__

Shit!. He hadn't meant to hurt her. It just slipped out. "Babe I'm sorry."

With precise movements, Hilde extricated herself from Duo's lap and slid into the passenger seat. Curling up as tightly as she could, as far away from Duo as possible, she turned her face to the window. "Just take me home." She requested quietly.

__

So that's what it narrows down to, Duo realized as he fixed his pants and started the engine, _I'm going to loose her no matter what I do_. Here he was sitting less that a foot away from Hilde and suddenly he never felt more alone in all his life. The distance between them was growing along with the tense silence but there was nothing he could say that would fix this mess. He'd already said too much.

He glanced at Hilde out of the corner of his eye but she remained staring out of the window absently worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. It wasn't fair. Why did this have to become so complicated? Why couldn't he be satisfied with her body?

Duo was left to contemplate that question as he drove back to the house. By the time he pulled the truck into the driveway the miserable tension in the cab was thick enough to be a living entity. Caught in the painful silence Duo watched as Hilde bolted from the vehicle and attempted to open the front door.

After a few moments Hilde was still struggling to get the key in the lock. As Duo came up behind her he realized that her hands were shaking violently making her grip unsteady. He reached out to help but when his hand touched hers she jerked away is if burned.

The sinking feeling in Duo's chest intensified to something akin to panic as Hilde stumbled through the door in her haste to put some distance between them. Acting on impulse he grasped her wrist halting her retreat. "Hilde…"

"Lemme go!" She cried trying to wrench free of his hold. As she struggled to get free she looked up at him with watery eyes. "I got your message loud and clear so don't touch me!"

Duo tightened his grip not about to let her go. "I'm sorry Hilde. I didn't mean what I said. You've got to believe me."

"Fuck you! You can't just say something like that and then say you're sorry. It doesn't work that way. How would you like it I said you… you… "

"…that I'm what?" He asked tightly.

"No," she whispered, "I'm not going to say something I can't take back. I would never deliberately hurt you like that no matter how angry I am."

"I was wrong, I feel horrible and I'm sorry a thousand times over. I don't know what else to say." Looking deep into her cornflower eyes, he pleaded, "How do you think I feel when you're all over some stranger? It hurts okay. I guess I can't do this. I'm not playing your games anymore."

"That's funny, I thought this was your game." She said as she averted her eyes from his searching gaze. "You know Duo, maybe you should tell me just what the hell you want from me!"

Duo swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. "I want you to take this seriously. This is about more this just sex- "

"No it's not," she insisted, cutting him off. "That's exactly what you didn't want, remember?"

"That was two years ago… and… I've… things… have changed since then, you've changed, I've changed, Us… we've changed and so has our relationship."

"In what way?" It was a simple question but the weariness in her voice made Duo's last bit of bravado falter.

Running a hand through his hair, a telltale nervous habit, he faked a smile. "Maybe it's just me. I've fucked up Hil, really bad."

"You're not making any sense." She frowned, but whether in anger or thoughtfulness Duo couldn't tell. It didn't matter. It was time to take the fall and it was up to Hilde if he hit rock bottom or not.

"I'm crazy about you and I want us to be together." He admitted with a bitter laugh. "There I said it. At this point it can't make things worse."

For a long moment Hilde remained silent, her expression shuttered and unreadable. After a short eternity, her eyes widened in surprise. "You're serious…" when he nodded she dragged in a ragged breath. "I don't know what to say."

"I was kind of hoping you'd say you felt the same." He offered but even as he spoke he felt the last shred of hope he had fade. It was getting increasingly harder to breathe as the hollow feeling turned into an icy numbness that was drowning him.

Tears borne of raw and bleeding emotions welled in Hilde's eyes as she reached up and placed her hand against her heart, as if the action could soothe the turmoil within. There was a sense of vulnerability about her, an almost fearful longing that twisted her heart shaped face into a mask of sadness as she confessed, "A part of me loves you Duo. It always has, ever since we were kids. But you never wanted that and it's okay because we're friends and I'm not about beat myself up waiting for you to come around. There's no point in living for maybe. I know where we stand and that's fine."

"I guess I am selfish. I figure why let my heart get in the way." She sniffed, wiping at her eyes to regain some of her composure. When she spoke again her voice was stronger and questioning. "Do you really understand how you feel? If things change, if we get closer, then we risk loosing everything we have. We may not even be able salvage our friendship. Do you really think it's worth that kind of risk?"

__

She's only afraid just like I am…

There was no hesitation in Duo's heart or mind as he gave her a small, genuine smile. "Yeah, I think it is."

Slowly, like ice melting in the first breath of spring, Hilde's defenses fell away. And for as single moment they weren't friends or lovers, just two people really seeing each other for the first time. There was nothing else to hide. There was nothing more to stop them from taking the next step together, hand in hand.

It was good enough green light for Duo, so he followed his instincts and did something that had always been right beyond boundaries of the relationship. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. It was a simple action and yet so much was said without words when her arms slid around his waist holding onto him just as tightly. Its significance went much deeper than sexual caresses and friendly, spirit-lifting hugs.

This was their way of expressing love.


End file.
